Tuning-peg for stringed instruments



(No Model.)

L. L. FILSTRUP & G. VAN ZANDT I TUNING PEG FOR STBINGED INSTRUMENTS. No.382,465. Patented May 8, 1 888.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LABS LARSEN FILSTRUP, OF RAVENSWOOD, AND GEORGE VAN ZANDT, OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS.

TUN|NG=PEG FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 382,465, dated May 8,1888.

Application filed January 31, 1888. Serial No. 262,538. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LARs LARSEN FIL- sTRUP, a subject of the King ofDenmarl ,'re= siding at Ravenswood, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, and GEORGE VAN ZANDT, a citizen of the United States, residingat Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Pegs or Tuning-Keys for MusicalString Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

The class of musical string instruments to which our inventionappertains comprises violins, banjos, guitars, and the like, the drawr5ings hereto annexed representing said invention as particularlyapplicable to a violin.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of one of said pegs ortuning-keys. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section of the same. Fig.3 is an end View of the flanged bearing of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4represents the peg with a change of form in some of its parts.

Certain objects of my invention are toprovide a novel and efflcientconstruction of key adapted to have the bearing portion of its stem inone of the two side walls of the instrumentneck and susceptible of suchadjustment that .portions of the key applied, respectively, againstopposite sides of said wall can be brought to exert a variable bindingforce against the same, whereby the compression shall be resisted by asolid piece of wood, and thereby the drawing together of the two walls,for example, of a violin-neck, as in keys where two shoulders are drawntogether, respectively, against the outer sides of the two side walls,be avoided; also, to provide certain novel and improved details ofconstruction, tending to increase the general efflcienoy of the key.

The tuning-key represented in Figs. 1 and 2 serves to illustrate theconstruction of one of said keys and its especial adaptation to aviolin-neck, reference being first made to said figures.

The stem or body portion of the key comprises in its structure a shankor spindle, B, which is provided at one end with a spool portion havinga hole, I), for receiving an end of the string. This perforated endportion or 5o spool of the spindle is properly rounded to permit thestring to be wound thereon without injury to the string. The remainingportion, I), of the spindle is squared or made angular in cross-section,and is fitted into a correspondingly-shaped bore thatis formed in thebearing-piece G. The bearing-piece 0 may be somewhat enlarged at its end0, which is opposite the end that receives the spindle, in order toprovide a socket appropriate for the re ception of the stem of the usualflattened handie or thumbpiece, D, this latter portion of the tuning-keybeing desirably made separate from the bearing-piece O, in order that itmay be formed of some lighter materialfor exam,- ple, wood. By forming asquare or angular bore through the bearing-piece O the spindle and thebearing-piece will be prevented from turning independently of oneanother. The spindle can, however, be adjusted to a greater or lessextent into the bearing-piece. The bearing-piece O is, at a point backfrom its end which receives the spindle, provided with an annular flangeor shoulder, c, and from said flange toits said end the bearing-piece issuperficially cylindric or substantially cylindric, to 7 provide anappropriate bearing-surface, a for this portion of the stem.

When the key is applied to a violin-neck, the cylin'dric-bearing portion0 of the bearing-piece O enters a hole formed through one of the sidewalls of the violin-ncck, the extent of penetration on the part of thebearing-piece being sufficient to bring its flange or shoulder a injuxtaposition to the outer face or side of the said side wall. In thisway the cylindric 8 portion of the bearing-piece constitutes a part ofthe bearing-surface which the tuning-key has in the side wall of theviolin-neck, while the flange c bears against the outer side of the saidwall of the violin-neck. The remaining portion of the bearingsurface ofthe stem is provided for by a separate bearing-piece consisting of aflanged sleeve or collar, E, which is loosely fitted upon the squaredportion 2) of the spindle.

The bore of the collar corresponds to the squared or angular section ofthe spindle, so as to prevent the spindle and the collar from turningindependently of one another, although the collar should fit looselyenough upon the roe stem to permit a slight tilt of the part of theflange c of the collar, and thus allow the flange to conform in positionto the inclination that, as is well known, is usually at the inner sidesof the side walls of a violinneck.

The cylindric portion 0 of the collar can enter a hole through the sidewall of the instrument-neek, so as to stand in opposition to thecylindric bearing-piece O. In this way the flanged collar and theeylindric bearingpiece 0 constitute conjointly a completebearing-surface for the stem of the tuning-key, it being obvious thatany short space occurring between the opposing ends of said parts of thecollar and socket-piece will be of no detriment whatever.

The spindle is held in adjustment in the socket-piece by a slender screwor threaded rod, F. This screw is arranged to pass through the flattenedhandle or thumb-piece and socket piece and engage in a threaded bore inthe-end of the squared portion of the spindle. The portion of the screwpassing through the handle or thumb'pieoe is unthreaded, so that thescrew can be readily turned for the purpose of adjusting the spindle.The head of the screw can be exposed, as shown, or can be countersunk inthe peripheral portion ofthe thumb-picce,it being in either instancereadily accessible. By turning the screw the spindle can be drawnfarther within the sockct-pieee, thus practically drawing together thesocket-piece and the stem and causing the bearings O and E to be drawnmore closely toward the sides of the side wall and increasing thebinding force of the flanges thereof against the said sides.

It will be observed that the spindle has a shoulder, b", which abutsagainst the flanged end of the collar, and thus prevents the latter fromslipping toward the perforated end of the spindle. By such means theflanges can be set apart at a distance proportional to the thickness ofthe side wall of the violin-neck, and then tightened up against theopposite sides of the neck toany desired degree.

The length of the squared portion of the spindle can obviously bevaried, and will for guitars be made considerably longer than forviolins.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the stem practically comprisestwo oppositely-arranged cylindric bearing-pieces or bearing portions,the one formed by the flanged collar and the other by the flangedcylindric portion of the piece 0, and that the squared portion of thestem passes through one of these eylindric bearingpieces and enters abore in the other, in which latter it is held against rotationindependent of the said cylindric bearingpiece, but is susceptible of anend adjustment therein in order thatthe screw may when operated serve todraw the two shoulders toward each other, and thus increase the degreeto which it is desired they shall bind against the opposite faces of oneof the side walls of the instrument-neck; also, that by a reversemovement 8 l i l l of the screw the grip of the shoulders can beloosened up.

The enlarged prolongation c of the flanged cylindrie bearing-piececonstitutes merely a desirable socket for the stem port-ion d of theflattened handle or thu1nb-piece,and hence the device 0 has for the sakeof convenience here inbefore been termed as a whole a bearingpiece.

In Fig. 4 the flange c is shown without the cylindric bearing portion 0,but obviously forms a bearing, which, when the key is applied, fitsagainst one side of the instrumentneek, it being understood that saidflange or collar, as it may be termed, has an angular openingsubstantially as in Fig. 3, which represents an end view of thebearing-piece E of Figs. 1 and 2. In said Fig. 4 the spindleB is, as inFigs. 1 and 2, provided with a spool portion, 1)", having a hole, I),for the string, and further provided with a squared or angular portion,1/, whereon the bearing-piece 0r collar e is fitted to slide but notturn indcpendently of the stem. Said stem in Fig. t is f u rthcrprovided with the shoulder 0 (Shown in preceding figures.) The bearingportion 0 in Fig. 4 is, however, made slightly tapered, which feature,however, generally corresponds with the straight cylindrie bearingportion 0' of either Figs. 1 and 2.

\Vhile the cylindric bearing portion 0 of Figs. 1 and 2 is omitted inFig. 4, it will be obvious that the flange or collar c in said figurewill, in conjunction with theflanged bearing-piece O, serve to providetwo members adapted to clamp the neck between them and adjustable as totheir distance apart, such adjustment being effected as in the precedingfigures by operating the screw E, which serves to move the spindleendwise through the bearing-piece O.

What we claim as our invention is- 1. In a key for the purpose setforth, the combination of the loose flange or collar hav' ing an angularopeningwith the spindle having an angular portion passing through saidflange or collar and provided with a spool beyond the same,substantially as described.

2. A key for the purpose set forth, provided with two independent andoppositelyarranged cylindric bearingportions,each having an annularflange or shoulder and both forming conjointly that portion of the keythat enters and turns within a hole through one of the sides of theinstrument-neck, coinbiued with the spindle passing through oneeylindric bearing portion and titted in a bore of the opposite cylindricbearing portion, and the adjusting-screw engaging in a threaded socketin the spindle, said two cylindricbearing port-ions being keyed upon thespindle, whereby a rotation of the spindle shall turn both cylindricbearing port-ions, said spindle, which is prevented from rotationindependently of the bearing in which it enters, being adjustableendwise therein, whereby the screw can be turned to draw the twoshoulders or IiCl flanges against the opposite faces of one of the aportion of the thumb-piece is fitted, and the side walls oftheinstrument-neck, substantially adjusting-screw F, engaging thespindle, sub- IO as described. stantially as described.

3. The combination, with the spindle B, of LABS LARSEN FILSTRUP. 5 theflanged collar E, loosely fitted upon a GEORGE VAN ZANDT.

squared portion of the spindle, the bearing- Witnesses: piece 0,provided with a flanged cylindric CHAS. G.'PAGE,

bearing portion,and having a socket in which L. S. LOGAN.

